The One That Got Away
by MarlyCook
Summary: So why was she sitting on her bed three nights before her wedding, staring at an old picture of Duncan Kane? One shot. Post Finale.


**A/N: **_I'm a new fan of the show. But I have fallen in love with Veronica and Duncan._

**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing._

* * *

_All this money can't buy me a time machine  
Oh-ah-oh  
Can't replace you with a million rings  
Oh-oh-ah-oh-oh  
I should've told you what you meant to me_

* * *

Veronica looked down at the engagement ring sitting in her cup holder, the same one she slipped off earlier that morning when she finally came to terms with the fact that she was no longer the fiancée of Logan Echolls. Earlier that month she had finally told him that she couldn't be married to him, because her heart wasn't in it.

Despite her better judgment, she watched all of those girly movies where the bride tries on her wedding dress before the wedding. It was one of those "I can't wait to be Mrs. Whoever" moments that every bride was supposed to have.

So why was she sitting on her bed three nights before her wedding, staring at an old picture of Duncan Kane?

_Her fingertips brushed the smiling face of Duncan Kane and she felt her heart swell. She wondered where he was now, if he was married, if Lilly looked anything like her beautiful late aunt who she was named after._

_Veronica looked up at the dress she and her assistant picked out. It was beautiful and she ached at the fact that she wasn't going to be able to wear it. She closed her eyes, laying back on her bed and pictured Duncan's face as he was telling her goodbye._

_She wondered if he still loved her like he claimed he did. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, angry at herself for even wondering about Duncan Kane's feelings. _

_She set the picture down and stood up, walking out of her bedroom._

Her right foot gently pressed down on the brake and the car slowed to a stop when she got to the red light. Her fingers ran through her long blonde locks and she pushed up her sun glasses, wiping under her eyes when she felt the slightest of tears. She couldn't decide if she was making the right choice or not.

"_It's normal, Veronica," Helen assured, shuffling through the papers on her desk. "When I got married, I couldn't help but think about my last husband the night before. It's natural."_

"_I wasn't just thinking about him, Helen," Veronica said, sighing as she sat down in the chair in front of her secretary's desk. "It was this feeling that I got when I looked at his face. I just want to know where he is now."_

"_You can do that, you know?" Helen laughed, watching her. "That is kind of a special skill you have and do for a living. If you really loved this guy and wanted to know about him, you would have already looked him up."_

_She shook her head, her blonde hair falling in her face. She hurried to push it back, leaning her head back in the chair. "No," she said, quietly. "I'm kind of scared of what I may find out. I don't want to know if he's married or any of that."_

"_He's twenty-eight with a daughter," Helen said, smiling some. "It's safe to say he is probably married."_

"_I don't want to hear that, though," Veronica said, laughing to stop herself from wanting to cry._

She did, though. She did look him up just to see where he was, at least. It wasn't hard at all to find out all about him and his life now. She didn't research too thoroughly, in fear of finding a picture of him and a beautiful woman.

He was a journalist now and a famous one at that. She smiled now at the thought of it, because she knew he'd be good at it.

_The phone in her office blinked and she pressed the button under the red light. "Yes, Helen?" She asked in a sing-song voice. It had been three weeks since she called off the wedding and sent Logan on the honeymoon by himself. She kept herself busy with a missing person, a murder case, and an investigation on a Mrs. Carter's cheating husband. _

"_There is a Mr. Kane on line three for you," Helen said, and Veronica could hear the smile in her voice as she said it. _

_Veronica sat up so fast she almost fell out of her chair completely. She pressed the button and lifted the phone. "A Duncan Kane?" She asked her, a slight hint of excitement in her voice._

"_He didn't say, ma'am," Helen replied, smiling at the enthusiasm that was in her boss's voice. _

_Veronica hung up with her secretary and picked up the other line, closing her eyes before speaking. She had contacted Duncan Kane's office two weeks before and never got a reply._

"_Veronica Mars speaking," she said, in her most professional tone. _

Veronica drove a little ways before she saw her exit ahead. She took a deep breath before she turned off the exit and listened for her GPS to guide the rest of the way. She didn't really know what she was doing, but she knew she was doing it for herself and no one else. That was something that Logan told her to do before he left.

The radio was static-filled and she tuned it to find a station she would enjoy. She glanced at the clock and groaned in frustration. Patience had grown to be something she did not have. She had been on the road for nine hours.

"_I'm leaving, but not for long, so don't worry," Veronica said, smiling at her dad. She sat down at the kitchen counter and watched him cook a meal for them to share. _

"_Helen told me," Keith commented as he turned to look at his only daughter. "Are you sure about this? It's a little soon."_

"_Thanks dad, but I'm pretty sure this is something I need to do," she smiled before walking over and dropping a few pieces of garlic into the pot on the stove. "You're getting better at this cooking thing," she teased._

"In 400 yards, turn left," the robotic voice said before Veronica slowed at the stop sign. She turned on Mixon Avenue and followed the road to Café Armonio. She rolled her eyes at the pretentious name, but agreed to meet there anyway.

She parallel parked, which was never her forte, and got out. She inspected her parking job with a laugh and then pushed her sun glasses over her head as she walked into the café. In an instant, she spotted him.

He had let his facial hair grow out again. The years had been nothing, but great to him. She smiled as she noticed the five o'clock shadow and the muscular cut of his jaw. He looked up and smiled at her before he stood up to greet her.

Wasting no time, Veronica was over at his table and hugging him in what may or may not be an awkward embrace for him. If it was, he didn't act like it. He hugged her back and closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. "Hi, Veronica," he said, smiling into her hair.

"Hi, Duncan," she whispered, closing her eyes and smelling the all too familiar smell of Duncan Kane.


End file.
